


House-mates and study breaks

by Brackish



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Awkwardness, F/F, Fluff, I still don't go here but I like writing the two, Probably wrong charcterizations, Short One Shot, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 08:51:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10533042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brackish/pseuds/Brackish
Summary: One-shot college AU, where freshman Lena's too shy to talk to her cute house-mate, and freshman Kara takes it the wrong way.





	

When she moved it, Lena had no idea what her house-mate was going to be like. 

It wasn't for lack of trying. In the days leading up to the big move, Lena had become increasingly curious about the person with whom she would be sharing a place with. Were they going to be a slob she'd have to clean up after? Some gym-junkie that would be up at 4AM and party till about the same time? Perhaps curious wasn't the best word for it - scrupulous? Maybe. Anxious? definitely. 

Lena hated unknowns. If there was information to be discovered, she wanted it unpackaged and filed away for future reference as soon as possible. Were they going to disrupt her studies? Eat her food? Keep her from getting a good night's sleep, thereby resulting in her running late to her supremely early classes? Her mind was abuzz with hesitation. 

She ought to have listened to her mother and gotten a place of her own, but that would be giving her mother credit and put Lena in her mother's pocket. No, this was a step towards independence. This, as were the many before it, was a step towards removing herself of the curse that was her heritage. A burden that she had not asked for, and yet found herself irrevocably carrying. 

This was impulsive, and the mere thought gave Lena a wrinkle in her forehead. 

Nevertheless, sharing an apartment was financially responsible, if a bit daunting. Really, it wasn't so much the fact that it was a  _new_ apartment, but rather the fact that it was the  _first_ apartment. Thankfully, as fate would have it, her house-mate would eventually be more than happy to do everything she could to make Lena feel welcome. Of course, it didn't exactly start on the best of terms. 

For starters, she was absent when Lena arrived. Nobody to greet her, nobody to say hello or give introductions, nobody to make her feel welcome, at that moment at least. But that was fine - Lena didn't expect the welcome mat to be rolled out. She did, however, expect to have to say hello to someone. 

She only arrived after Lena had unpacked. Lena had set herself up in the kitchen, books splayed out over the dining table, deep in her pre-readings for her first classes the following day. 

"Oh - Hello!"

Lena hadn't heard her house-mate enter the apartment, or her energetic greeting. Earbuds in and elbow deep into business textbooks, the sudden appearance of a bright smile beneath long gold curls had caused her to jump slightly in the cheap, plastic chair. 

"H-hello?" Lena said, untangling her earbuds. "Who are -"

"Kara." She said, smiling broadly. "You must be - erm," She scrunched up her face. "L... Lena?"

"Lena," Lena repeated in acknowledgement. "Lena Luthor." 

_Get it out of the way. Gauge her response - it'll set the tone for the rest of the residency._

Kara nodded, smiling warmly. "Nice to meet you - I'm Kara." That was a good sign - not a flicker of disgust, not a shadow of mistrust or malcontent. Simple understanding and acknowledgement. 

It was a small thing, but it at once put Lena at ease.

"I'm your house-mate." She said, holding out a hand for Lena to shake. "Sorry I wasn't here in the morning to help you move in; had some, er... _errands_ to run."

"That's alright," Lena said, watching her carefully. "I managed on my own."

Kara paused to smile at her again. "I believe that."

Lena quirked a brow. "Sorry?" 

Kara shrugged, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. "I dunno - You seem like you know how to handle yourself. You know - strong, independent," She said, before taking a gulp of water. "Sorry, I shouldn't - that's none of my business-"

"No," Lena interjected. "That's accurate, I'd say." 

Kara laughed, but said nothing further. A pregnant pause lingered between, until Kara clapped her hands together. 

"Right, well - I'll be my room. Let me, uh - Let me know if you need anything, okay? "

"Sure." 

Lena watched with brows furrowed as Kara passed her another smile, and disappeared around the corner into the hallway, her gaze lingering upon where Kara stood until she heard the distant sound of Kara's door closing.

Lena slumped in her chair. It was a strange sensation that had overcome her. She didn't feel at all on-guard speaking to Kara, the way she felt usually was speaking to near everyone else. It was comfortable, it was conversational, it was devoid of hesitation and wariness and suspicion. 

It was... Easy.

There was something so approachable about Kara. The sweater, the button-up beneath it, the jeans, the glasses - oh  _god,_ the glasses. Lena's mind was replaying the way Kara's blue eyes gazed at her behind those frames. It was like she was being scanned, but in a way that made her feel both exposed, and secure. 

It wasn't until Lena found herself re-reading the same line over and over again for several minutes that she realized what it was. She eventually gave up, packed her books away -

\- and decided that Kara was, not yet a crush, but a distraction.

Well, it might have been both. 

The first week was intense - although judging by the way the other students were behaving, Lena firmly believed that she was the only one who thought so. Diligently taking notes, the first to answer each and every question, Lena was on top of her game. By the end of the introductory lectures, the professors had come to learn who she was, and what she was. A strong-willed individual who was leagues ahead of anyone in her course. 

Kara, on the other hand, would come to discover that Lena was a bit of a ghost. After their first meeting, Lena was never in the apartment if she could help it, only coming home to shower and sleep. She'd take her meals someplace else, and spend most of her extra time outside of classes studying in the libraries. Even in the rare opportunities where she'd bump into her around the apartment, Lena seemed to want to make herself as scarce as possible.

So imagine the surprise then, when Kara almost ran straight into Lena, as she was stepping out of the bathroom.

"Oh - hey!" Kara yawned. "Still here?" 

"P-pardon?" Lena replied.

"You're usually already gone by now." Kara said sleepily, glancing down at her watch. "Don't you have class?" 

Lena dragged her eyes away from Kara, and the way her smile reached all the way to her sleepy eyes, gleaming from behind large glasses. 

"Cancelled." Lena gulped. "Thought I'd - I'd sleep in, you know?" 

Kara smiled warmly. "Really? Didn't really take you for someone who did that." Kara stretched, her tank-top riding up ever-so-slightly. 

Lena's jaw clenched, flushing a slight pink. "Yeah - well, I do." She said, brushing past Kara, and disappearing into her room. 

Kara cocked her head in confusion. "Well - hey! I'm going to grab coffee," She shouted after her. "Do you want anything?" 

"No," Lena said, slamming the door behind her. "Thank you!" 

The words came muffled from behind the door, and for a moment Kara pouted in a look of dazed confusion, before shrugging and humming to herself as she got ready for the day. 

 _What a strange person_ , Kara would think to herself. She tried not to linger on it, but deep within Kara, a niggling thought was burrowing its way into her consciousness. 

It was a recurring thought that Kara would have whenever she'd interact with Lena. She'd go out of her way to greet her any time she spotted her on campus, only to have Lena's eyes grow wide and watch Lena fumble through an excuse, hurrying off in a huff and leaving Kara as confused as she was the first time.

Kara was beginning to think it was something  _she_ did, despite the constant assurances from her sister otherwise. Any time Kara explained the curious phenomenon to Alex, Alex would just laugh and shake her head, always saying the same thing as well.

_"Don't worry - you'll figure it out eventually."_

Of course, that didn't do much to wipe the frown from Kara's face, the gentle feeling of hurt that would nestle in between her ribs every time she watched Lena hurry away from her. 

It was on wildly inconspicuous rainy afternoon, when Kara stopped by the coffee stop a few blocks between their apartment and campus, that she managed to bully her first proper conversation out of Lena since they met. She spotted Lena in the corner of the coffee shop, sat next to a pile of textbooks that almost sat as tall as she did and buried in a tome so big that, were it any larger, one could theoretically hollow it out and use it as a bed frame. 

Well, perhaps not; but Kara liked to imagine it anyway. 

"Hey!" Kara said with a smile, dropping herself into the bench opposite Lena. Her sudden appearance caused Lena to jump in her spot. Again.

"Hello, Kara." Lena said, burying herself back in her tome after the initial shock had worn off. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Kara said, watching Lena carefully as she sipped at her latte. "What are you reading?"

"Just something for one of my courses." 

"Looks tough."

"Hmm."

"And intimidating."

"Mhm." 

Kara twitched her nose, eyeing Lena's unflinching attention to the book in front of her with her own hesitancy. 

"Hey," Kara said, after a short mental debate. "Did I do something wrong?" 

Lena glanced up, eyes wide with a look of horror on her face. "S-sorry?"

Kara slumped in her seat. "You hardly look at me, and every time I bump into you, it's like you can't wait to get away from me. I hardly even see you around the apartment - Where you live!" Kara sighed. "I mean - I get it, we don't have to be friends, and it's not like you owe me anything, but... If I did something wrong, just tell me what it is so I can apologize." 

Lena gaped at her, though she seemed to struggle to get the words out. 

"I... I..." 

Kara sighed again. "You know what - forget it." She rose to leave. "I'll give you your space." Kara gathered up her bag, and made for the exit. Rain slashed against the pavement outside, and as soon as she opened the door, a gust of sharp-biting wind rushed into the warmth of the coffee shop. 

It was then that Lena shouted from the booth in the corner. "Kara - wait!" 

Kara paused, glancing sideways at Lena. 

Lena flushed pink. "It's... It's not you. It's just... I... you-"

Kara shook her head, rolling her eyes in frustration. "Right." 

She didn't look back at Lena as she marched out into the rain. However, if she did, she probably would have only felt worse, seeing the look on Lena's face. Kara went to her classes that afternoon with a frown and furrowed brow. She couldn't even pay attention to what was happening in her journalism lectures, and only managed to take her mind off Lena when she felt a nudge from the person sitting next to her in the auditorium. 

"Uh - Kara? Kara, you're -"

"Hmm?" 

"Sorry, Kara - you're dripping on my books." 

"Oh." Kara said, blinking out of her turbulent thoughts. "Sorry about that."

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Kara said, lifting her glasses to rub at her eyes agitatedly. "Just something on my mind."

The rain didn't ease off as she made her way back to the apartment. As she climbed the stairs, she took some solace in the thought that Lena probably wouldn't be in the apartment anyway, but even as the thought flickered across her mind, she felt a twang of guilt. 

... _It's not you. It's just..._  

Kara froze as soon as she stepped into the apartment, and was greeted by the sight of Lena, slumped over the kitchen table, head nestled in her arms, a small pastry box sitting in front of her.

Kara dropped her bag at the door, and approached with caution. Atop the pastry box was a small envelope, addressed to her. 

> _Kara_
> 
> _I apologise for any hurt feelings I may have brought you. It's just that I haven't met a lot of people who are as nice as you are - at least, not towards me. I hope this makes it up to you._
> 
> _Lena_

Kara smiled, lifting the lid to reveal a small strawberry shortcake.  

"Hey," Kara said, kneeling beside Lena. "Thanks for this." 

Lena mumbled a dozy response. 

Kara furrowed her brow, concern washing over her. "Hey, are you okay?" 

Lena rose slowly as Kara roused her, cheeks flushed red and skin warm to the touch. 

"You're sick." Kara whispered, pressing her hand against Lena's forehead. "You didn't bring an umbrella, did you?" 

Lena shuffled slightly, mumbling in broken sentences, eyelids puffy and red, barely open as an expression of pain washed over her face. 

"C'mon, let's get you to bed."  

Lena would never admit to remembering how Kara scooped her up in her arms, and carried her to her bedroom. She would never admit to sleepily nuzzling into the crook of Kara's neck as Kara slipped her into bed, pulling her sheets over her. She'd never admit to scrunching her face up as she felt Kara's absence, groaning her name in her sickly daze. 

She'd never admit it of course, but she'd remember it. 

**Author's Note:**

> theres characterisations are definitely wrong.  
> i still don't go here.  
> i'm only slightly sorry.


End file.
